—an artisan farmer's journey

Salmonberries

If you live in the Northwest, you probably heard of Salmonberries but I have not heard of them here in Santa Fe. My neighbor has a Salmonberry bush that produced heavily this year and I got some.

At first I thought it was a gold raspberry but it is not. It’s a beautiful berry similar to a raspberry but more delicate in flavor and is gold-salmon-pinkish color.

The salmonberry, Rubus spectabilis is native to the US Northwest moist coastal regions and some parts of Europe. I wouldn’t think they would thrive in our drier conditions and yet here is one and it is not in a wet area. Traditionally, the berries were eaten by Native Americans with salmon or salmon roe, hence the name. It is sometimes called the Joffelberry as well. What a wonderful treat! They don’t freeze well so we just gobbled them all up!

I have only seen Salmonberries growing wild here in Oregon on the coast and I am amazed that they will grow in New Mexico as the climate is so different. It just goes to show how adaptable plants are. I am always surprised how they will sometimes grow and thrive where they are not supposed to.

They really do look like golden raspberries. I think of salmonberries as smaller and shiny. I mean, they have a smoother surface that looks like plastic. Also, they should not have such a big hole where they slipped off of the core. The leaves look like those of salmonberry. Are the flowers big and pink?